Forestry
Since the invention of the modern aerial mapping camera in the 1920s, aerial surveys have been used in basic forest inventories.
In 1981, ASC pioneered the use of colour infrared imagery for forest regeneration surveys, and continues to innovate within the field today.
Forests are the lungs of the planet, but they also operate as a sewage system, a place of stored energy, and a source of fiber that can be used for shelter, clothing and information interchange. High-resolution, multispectral digital imagery, combined with precise georeferencing, can help governments, forest managers and public and private companies to avoid the imbalances that result from overemphasizing one at the expense of the other.
- Multispectral, photogrammetrically-correct imagery allows scientists and forest managers to identify species, measure objects, assess vegetation health, and monitor habitats (including drainage and elevation modelling) within a forest, in order to assess forest value in highly accurate detail.
- Precise interventions into forest regeneration, such as pest control or responses to invasive species, can be more easily conducted with accurate mapping data.
- More precise georeferencing makes it easier to clearly outline harvestable areas taking into account features such as stream edges, road allowances, and digital elevation modelling can be used to extract detailed terrain data for engineering work on forest roads.
- Rapid turnaround of orthorectified photomaps can be made available to both private and public sector organizations for purposes of silviculture and infrastructure.
- DSM technology can measure biomass volume, which can be used to assess the carbon capture capabilities of forests; Airborne Sensing has demonstrated this capability at a presentation in 2012 for the Instituto Geografico Militar in Quito, Ecuador.